Dear colleagues, We are pleased to announce the recent publication of the following paper on bottlenose dolphin social structure: Pace DS, Pulcini M and Triossi F (2011). Anthropogenic food patches and association patterns of Tursiops truncatus at Lampedusa island, Italy. Behavioral Ecology. doi:10.1093/beheco/arr180. It has been made available online in advance via the following link: http://beheco.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2011/11/11/beheco.arr180.shor... Abstract Anthropogenic food patches in the marine environment, such as aquaculture farms and active trawlers, may impact on the behavior of marine mammals through modification of habitats, changes in predation pressure, or alterations in food distribution, availability, and predictability, affecting related social interactions and population demographics. This study examined patterns of association of a population of common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) around Lampedusa Island (Italy) during 1996–2006 and tested the hypothesis that the trawl fishery and the presence of an aquaculture farm could affect such patterns. Here, we used measures of association between pairs of individuals to assess this impact on social unit composition/cohesion and some analytical techniques to describe the structure of dolphin social networks and temporal stability of associations. Association information for 71 regularly sighted individuals was obtained from photo-identification surveys within groups observed or not at “feeding stations”. We found association patterns between dolphins were nonrandom. The Lampedusa population seems to be arranged into 6 clusters and organized in communities composed of animals that were either never seen in association with feeding stations (N individuals) or those that are (Y individuals), although mixed assemblages were also recorded. Both communities showed long-term preferred companions, with different degrees of social cohesion—as resulted by network measures and temporal analysis. Delineating community structure at Lampedusa Island has offered basic information for further investigations in the area, also providing novel evidences on how disparities in association patterns between bottlenose dolphin individuals may have resulted from a combination of ecological and anthropogenic factors. Cheers, Daniela Silvia Pace ======================== Daniela Silvia Pace President Oceanomare Delphis Onlus www.oceanomaredelphis.org danielasilvia@oceanomaredelphis.org Registered office: Corso D’augusto 14, 47921 Rimini (Italy) Operating offices: Via G. Marinuzzi 74, 00124 Roma (Italy) tel&fax +39 06 50910791 Via Zaro 22, 80075 Forio d'Ischia (NA, Italy) tel&fax +39 081 989578